Forgotten Joker
by JazzGirl123
Summary: Fate is a funny thing. Imagine if instead of Amu, it was Ami who had become the Joker. What will happen to Amu now? If she's not with the Guardians, is she still the enemy of Ikuto, who happens to go to her school? Different ages, but pretty much canon. Amuto and others.
1. Chapter 1

…

Just because people share the same blood, it does not mean that they are alike.

A living example of this statement would be the Hinamori sisters, as shown on their first day of school after moving to Tokyo in the middle of the school year.

"Alright everybody, this is Hinamori Ami; please welcome her into our class and make her feel at home here at Seiyo Middle School! Hinamori-chan, do you do have anything to say?"

The thirteen-year-old smiled brightly, showing off her pearly whites as her honey golden eyes sparkled. She turned to the class and exclaimed, "Hi, it's nice to meet you guys! I know we're going to get along fabulously!"

"Wow, she's so pretty!"

"What a cute girl!"

"Her personality shines right through my heart!"

"She looks so nice; we should try to be friends with her!"

Ami blinked but then chuckled, rubbing the back of her head as she made her way to her seat next to a cute boy with blond hair and ruby red eyes. He turned in his seat and smiled at her warmly, and she blushed as she returned the smile.

The brunette turned back around, just barely missing seeing the little king with lavender hair floating next to the boy.

Meanwhile…

"Everybody, this is Hinamori Amu; she will be joining our sophomores here at Seiyo High School, so please give her a warm welcome. Hinamori-chan, do you have anything to say?"

The fifteen-year-old gave her new classmates a bored look as she flicked a strand of her vibrant pink hair away from her face. "Yo," she greeted disinterestedly as her honey golden eyes spotted an empty seat next to the window. "That's my seat, right?" She was already walking towards it before the teacher could reply.

"Wow, she seems kind of rude."

"No way; she seems so cool!"

"Spicy even!"

"Yeah, yeah; she's Cool 'n Spicy!"

"She's really pretty too, in a punkish-Goth kinda way!"

"Definitely!"

Amu internally sighed as she listened to her new classmates gossip about her, staring out the window with an emotionless face. She felt someone's eyes piercing the back of her head and she turned in her seat, meeting the deep sapphire eyes that belonged to a good-looking guy with dark blue hair.

They didn't say anything, but there was a spark that flew between their eyes.

Amu shook it off and turned back towards the window, which had been left a crack open. She frowned and closed it, turning to the teacher, who had begun to talk; the pinkette remained oblivious to the small 'nya' that came from next to her as something slammed into the window, making a certain blue haired male smirk.

…

"So, girls, how was your first day at school?" Midori asked as the Hinamori family sat down at dinner later that evening. "Did you make any new friends?"

"Bunches and bunches," exclaimed Ami excitedly. "Oh, that reminds me! Mama, can I go to the mall with Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan later today?"

"I don't see why not," replied her mother cheerfully, stuffing a piece of fish into her husband's mouth before he could shout about their daughter going out with a boy. He merely cried and chewed on the fish. "What about you, Amu-chan?"

The fifteen-year-old shrugged as she ate a forkful of salad.

Midori blinked but smiled at her. "Amu, I know you're not exactly happy about suddenly moving, but please try to make some new friends. The only person you would talk to back in Wardington was that girl, Yua, who became a model. Making friends in high school can be hard for a teenage girl, I remember that from my own youth, but you have to try."

"Mama, no offense, but I don't see the point in having friends," replied Amu, standing and picking up her plate to rinse it in the sink. "Thank you for dinner."

She stretched her arms as she walked upstairs towards her room, ignoring the excited chatter from her younger sister.

As soon as she shut the door behind her, Amu's emotionless face turned to one of anguish as she collapsed onto her bed and buried her face into her pillow.

"Agh, why do I have to be so socially awkward?" She exclaimed. "All day, people have been confessing to me and calling me 'cool' from afar! It's just like middle school!"

After a few moments, Amu turned her head to the side and glanced at her dresser, where four colorful eggs sat. There was a pink one with hearts; a blue one with spades; green with clovers; and yellow with diamonds.

A smile crossed her lips as she reached over and lightly tapped on the diamond egg, which happened to be the closest to her. "Dia, guys, you can come out now."

Slowly, the eggs cracked and four Chibi characters popped out; Amu's guardians, to be exact, and each of them represented something she dreamt of being.

Ran, the pretty pink haired cheerleader with the heart clip in her hair, was the first to be born back when Amu was when ten. She represented Amu's desire to be more honest and girly. Ran was the obviously the girly one out of the four, and the most outgoing as well. Once they Chara Changed, Amu immediately became more girlish and athletic, as well as more playful.

Miki, the cool blue haired one with the peasant clothes and beret, was the second to be born soon after Ran. She was born from Amu's feelings to be more coolheaded, logical, and artistic. Miki often kept to herself, being the introverted one, but she would also show others her romantic personality when an opportunity came up. Once they Chara Changed, Amu would instantly have the artistic talents of something like Da Vinci.

Su, the cute green haired one in the apron, was the third to be born. She took a few weeks longer than her sisters though only because she was not needed yet. Born from Amu's desire to be more motherly and cute, Su often had a habit of spacing out and only paying attention when it involved people she cared about, cooking, and/or cleaning. The Chara Change often came in handy when Amu got herself into a mess and either needed to clean up an area, or whip up something in the kitchen.

Finally, Dia, the stylish ginger one with the pigtails, was the fourth and final one of Amu's guardians to be born. She came from the desire to be more mature and confident, though with Dia, she was either not-all-the-way-there like Su, or she was spouting advice like a fortune cookie made by a monk. Like Miki, she often kept to herself and didn't participate much in conversations, but the few words she said were usually taken to heart. When they Chara Changed, Amu had a spiked confidence and often increased power in her voice when she sang.

Ran asked, "How was school, Amu-chan?"

The pink haired teenager sighed as she stared at her ceiling. "It was like I expected; no matter how hard I try, I always end up wearing that stupid mask."

"At least you're trying," said Dia comfortingly.

Amu smiled at her fourth Chara. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Anyways, sorry I didn't take you guys with me today; I wanted to try to make an impression without any additional help."

"We forgive you, Amu-chan, desu," assured Su. "Nothing much happened at home today, but your Papa kept crying that you and Ami would meet some boys at school desu." Amu shook her head.

"Speaking of Ami," started Miki. "I felt a guardian's presence around her earlier, though I can't tell if it belongs to somebody she met at school, or if she gave birth to one." Her sisters nodded, silently telling Amu that they had felt it too.

Amu sat up, a pensive expression on her face. "Hm, I wonder…I mean, even confident people like her can have a desire to be something else, right? Or she could have a dream to be something specific."

"That's right," agreed Ran. "Hey, Amu-chan, did you meet anybody new? Silly question; everybody was new, weren't they?"

"I think what's she trying to ask is whether or not you met anyone interesting," said Miki, cutting off her sister before she could begin rambling. The pink haired Chara tried to complain about being interrupted, but Miki took one of her pom-poms and tossed it somewhere.

Amu chuckled lightly before she thought about her day. Nothing really interesting had happened…well, except for _that_.

_Amu sighed as she sat under a tree, quietly eating her lunch as she pulled out her book and began to read. The others talked absently around her, though they were a pretty fair distance away so they weren't bothering Amu._

_Just as she was getting to the good part, she reached into a plastic container to get another strawberry. To her surprise, she met the slightly damp grass instead. Confused, she looked away from her book and her eyes widened when she saw that the container of strawberries had taken seeing as it wasn't next to her._

"_What the…?"_

_Amu marked the page she was on and put her book down, standing and looking around the area for the container. "Where did it go?"_

"_These are pretty good."_

_The pinkette jumped slightly and looked around in confusion before she realized that the voice had come from above, making her look up slowly into the tree. To her shock, the blue haired guy from earlier was casually lounging on a branch…eating her strawberries!_

_Forgetting she was supposed to be wearing her mask, Amu stomped her foot and pointed at him as she exclaimed accusingly, "You…you took my lunch! Give it back! Why would you even do something like that?"_

"_I was hungry," replied the boy, smirking down at her. "For such a Cool n' Spicy person, you sure do act like a child. Are you actually that girl's twin or are you just bipolar?"_

_Amu glared at him. "Shut up; you don't know anything! Give me back my strawberries, you…you…stupid cat!"_

_The blue haired male raised an eyebrow. "How am I like a cat to you?"_

"_You…well, I didn't hear you in the tree so you're really quiet and the fact that you're even in a tree makes you a cat!"_

_The guy looked amused for some odd reason as he said, "Losing your temper like this, Amu? You're not cute doing that kind of thing."_

_That struck a chord and she snapped, "Don't call me so casually, you thief! I know I'm not cute so don't talk about things you nothing about! Fine, whatever; eat the strawberries. Do me a favor and choke on one."_

_She huffed, crossing her arms as she tried to compose herself. After a few moments, Amu finally calmed down and she began to pack up her things. She was just about done when somebody approached her. She looked up and internally sighed; it was an unknown classmate with a nervous expression, holding an envelope with a heart._

"_H-Hinamori-san," he started anxiously, looking over his shoulder to glance at his friends, who were giving him encouraging looks from afar. "I…I think you are very interesting and I…I want to know if you would like to go out with me!"_

"_No thanks," deadpanned Amu, her mask instantly snapping on. "Can you move? You're blocking the sun." _

_The boy's face fell in disappointment but he smiled and bowed, "Sorry, Hinamori-san."_

"_Whatever," replied the pinkette, waving her hand disinterestedly as she shut her eyes and leaned against the tree trunk. "Just get out of my light."_

_The boy's eyes turned to hearts. "So cool!" He ran back to his friends, grinning like an idiot._

"_So cold," murmured the blue haired male, dropping down from the branch to sit next to her. He placed the half-empty container of strawberries on top of her bag._

"_Don't sit so close to me," stated Amu, inching away. "Get lost…stupid cat."_

_He smirked at her. "If you insist, Amu…and you can call me Ikuto…Tsukiyomi Ikuto."_

_The fifteen-year-old opened one eye and saw that he was walking back towards the school, attracting the attention of many girls who called out their declarations for him as he passed by them. _

"_Weirdo…"_

"Amu…Amu…Amu!"

Amu shook her head, banishing the memory from her mind as she looked at Ran, who had been trying to get her attention.

"Sorry, Ran," she apologized. "What were you saying?"

The pink Chara pouted. "I was asking if you met any cute boys today!"

The fifteen-year-old blinked. "No, I didn't, Ran." And she didn't; cute was definitely not what she would have used to describe Tsukiyomi Ikuto. "Did you guys really just sleep all day?"

"No, we each did our own thing," replied Miki.

"Amu-chan, desu," exclaimed Su suddenly. "You didn't eat much at dinner, did you? Let me make you something delicious, desu!"

Amu blinked, helpless against her Chara's determined look. She may have acted cold and untouchable at school, but she was really such a softie…especially when it came to her would-be selves.

"E-Eh…alright…"

…

Ami sighed happily as she brushed her light brown hair, gazing out her window with a somewhat dreamy expression.

She hadn't expected her first day of seventh grade to be so interesting.

There had been so many interesting people at school, like that upbeat and energetic eighth grader, Yuiki Yaya, who was such a difference to Ami's seventh grade classmate, Sanjo Kairi, who was cutthroat blunt and analytical. It was surprise to the thirteen-year-old when she realized that the two were currently dating.

Of course, there was also that cute, princely boy with the ruby eyes. He had smiled at Ami and greeted her warmly, which made her heart pound. She had had crushes before, and she definitely had more than a few guys confess to her-not that she would ever tell her father that-but nobody had made her feel so…warm inside.

Another sigh escaped from the young teen's lips as she set down her brush, turning to face her dresser.

Ami shook her head, muttering, "Of course today would be interesting…it's not everyday you give birth to an egg, after all."

Resting on a little satin pillow, sat a marigold colored egg with a single star on it.

The thirteen-year-old walked over and picked up the egg, holding it carefully as she eyed it in confusion. A gentle smile was on her lips.

"I don't really know what's going on, or why I gave birth-which was so not included in the health manual or puberty talk, by the way-but I do know that this is something special…so please don't be afraid to hatch." Ami chuckled. "Trust me; my bark is worse than my bite."

To her surprise, the egg glowed brightly for a few seconds before a crack appeared in the center. Then the egg disappeared and was replaced by a chibi character with long blonde hair that had a marigold tucked in; she was wearing a white summer dress with a yellow trim. A smile was on her face and her light brown eyes were warm as she waved with the hand that was holding a microphone.

"Hi," she exclaimed.

"H-Hi," replied Ami, looking shocked. "W-Who-_what_ are you?"

The Chara pouted. "That's not a very nice question to ask, you know; my name is Marigold, and I'm your guardian character!"

After patiently explaining what a guardian character was and what feelings they were born from, Ami sat on the ground with a bewildered expression.

"So…what feelings were you born from then?" She asked, having sat in silence for several minutes.

Marigold gave her a radiant grin. "I was born from your feelings to bloom into a strong character and give others confidence through your singing! I guess you could also say that I was born from your desire to become a powerful singer, hm? Talk about a package deal; though it is kinda rare for a person to have more than one or two guardian characters."

All Ami could do was nod. "Wow…"

Marigold chuckled. "I guess it kinda is a shock, huh? Don't worry; you'll eventually come to terms with it. Everybody has their own period of adjusting when they first find out about guardian characters. Since you have school tomorrow, it's more than likely you'll see all the guardians you missed today." She tapped her chin with her microphone with a thoughtful expression.

"Oh, I guess I should also warn you about Chara Changes," she added. "A Chara Change is a guardian's ability to transfer some of our own abilities to our bearer. Or another person, but Chara Changing with someone who's not your bearer is rare. The Change can be initiated by a bearer's own will, against it by the guardian's choice, or in some cases, by a certain word or phrase."

Marigold smiled warmly. "I know this is a lot to take in, Ami-chan; do you have any questions?"

"Is…is there anything else about guardian characters that I should know about?" Ami asked. "I don't need to transform and go save the world or something, do I? That sounds cool, but also kinda dangerous…"

Her Chara giggled. "Don't worry, Ami-chan; there are some negative things about guardians, but there's nothing important you have to do when you get one. We're born to help you develop, that's all. How you choose to use your new 'power' is up to you. We only want what's best for you, after all!"

Ami took a deep breath and smiled after a few minutes, holding out her hands to gesture for Marigold to come closer. "Heh, I guess I should say then…welcome to the world, Marigold!"

Her Chara giggled as Ami hugged her gently, holding her to her cheek.

Meanwhile, miles away, a lone figure stood over a building as they gazed out at the bright city lights.

"It's starting soon, isn't it, nya?"

"…yeah."

…

**I do not own Shugo Chara!**

**Alright, if you have been reading my other stories and read my synopsis about the idea I had for this story, then you have already seen where I plan to take this. **

**If not, then thank you for clicking on my story! I hope you liked this.**

**I don't want to give away any spoilers just yet, so I don't really have much to say! So…I guess…there's nothing really for me to do here, is there? **

**I'd appreciate it if you left a review and told me what you thought about this first chapter, and if there are any mistakes anywhere-either grammar or a spelling mistake, please feel free to tell me!**

**Also, because of school and other things, I probably will not as update as frequently as I would like, so please be patient!**

**Thanks, and see ya next chapter! **


	2. Chapter 2

…

Amu blew her hair out her face as she walked out of her bedroom, smoothing out her ruffled pajamas.

She looked up when she heard her sister's voice; Ami was walking out of the bathroom, half-dressed, and talking to herself…at least, that's what someone who couldn't see Charas would say.

Amu eyed the little Chara with the marigold floating next to her sister before she turned to Ami and said, "Morning, Ami."

The thirteen-year-old looked up at her in surprise, her eyes wide. "Oh, uh; good morning, onee-chan!" She glanced quickly at her Chara, who assured her that she couldn't be seen unless it was a character bearer. Amu made sure not to look in her direction.

"You seem frazzled," stated the pinkette, raising an eyebrow and smirking as if she didn't know why. "Do you mind moving? I need to use the bathroom too, you know."

Ami blushed and nodded, stepping out of the doorway. Marigold frowned, saying, "Your sister seems sort of rude, doesn't she?"

"She's always like that," whispered Ami as her sister brushed past her. "Amu is actually really sweet once you get to know her."

The sixteen-year-old proved by her point by smiling and ruffling the brunette's hair before shutting the bathroom door behind her. She felt satisfied knowing that her younger sister would defend her so easily; she would do the same for Ami.

After taking a quick shower and blow-drying her hair, Amu dressed in her school uniform***** and headed downstairs, making sure her Charas were in their eggs in her bag so Marigold wouldn't notice them. For some reason, she didn't want her sister to find out about other Charas just yet.

"Good morning, Amu-chan," greeted Midori cheerfully as she handed her eldest daughter a plate of eggs. The pink haired teenager thanked her mother, glancing at her sister who wore a somewhat sickly expression as she stared at the eggs on her plate. "What's wrong, Ami? Do you not like your eggs?"

"N-No, they're delicious," exclaimed Ami quickly, looking over at Marigold before shoveling her breakfast into her mouth.

The corners of Amu's mouth quirked upwards; she couldn't eat eggs for a while after the birth of her guardians either. She quietly ate her breakfast as well before glancing at the clock and seeing the time.

"Ami, we should get going or we'll be late," said Amu, wiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve as she stood. Her sister turned towards the clock and her eyes widened, stuffing her toast into her mouth as she hurried to put on her shoes. "Bye, Mama, Papa."

"Bye-bye," replied her parents as their daughters headed out.

The walk to the school didn't take long and soon, the two sisters said their goodbyes before heading into the different buildings.

Amu sighed and opened the flap of her bag, allowing her four Charas to fly out and complain that it had been dark. "Well, sorry but I don't want Ami to know about you guys yet."

"Let her adjust to having a guardian," reasoned Dia, nodding approvingly.

"Wow, the school is so big," exclaimed Ran, looking around as she and her sisters followed their bearer through the corridors. The school itself was dark and gloomy with a depressing feel to it, like all schools everywhere, but the people were vibrant and loud with their diverse personalities.

Amu nodded, acknowledging her girly Chara as she passed by several of her classmates and ignored the beginnings of confessions from boys. She sighed as she entered her first period classroom, already looking forward to the end of the day as she made her way to her seat near the window.

The guy from the day before, Tsukiyomi Ikuto, wasn't there yet but Amu had a feeling he was the sort of person to regularly skip class.

And so, as the teacher walked in and fell over his own shoelaces as he called out role-pronouncing Amu's last name wrong-she was proven correct as the blue haired boy did not show up once during the whole class.

For some reason, the pinkette was slightly disappointed but she shoved away the feeling, telling herself that boys were a bother-oh, how her father would love hearing that from her-and that she should just concentrate.

She sighed and rested her chin on her palm, gazing out the window as she absently wondered how her sister was doing.

…

Ami slapped her hand over her mouth, her cheeks reddening as the marigold in her hair vanished and everyone turned to her.

She didn't understand what had happened; she had just been quietly working on the worksheet when the cute blond boy, Hotori Tadase as she had learned, leaned over and smiled as he remarked how he liked the flower clip on her uniform.

The compliment gave her a warm feeling and the next thing she knew, Marigold had shouted something and she was suddenly standing on her chair, singing the musical scale (do re me fa so la ti do) and exclaiming she hoped that everyone was working hard on their papers or else she wouldn't find them cute.

Luckily for her, their teacher had stepped out of the classroom for whatever reason and Ami removed her hand, still blushing as she said quietly, "Sorry for disturbing you; please don't mind me," and sunk back down into her chair.

Once everyone had returned to their previous actions, Ami turned to glare at her guardian, who gave her a sheepish look, before she sighed and looked back at her worksheet.

To her surprise, there was a crisp white envelope with a golden seal sitting on her desk.

Ami blinked, looking around and wondering who could have passed it to her, but seeing no one. She shrugged and carefully opened the envelope, reading the contents and becoming confused.

Apparently, she had been invited to have tea with some group called the Guardians in some place named the Royal Garden. The girl next to her glanced over and gasped.

"Ami-chan, you got the Royal Seal!" She exclaimed, making everyone turn back to her with wide eyes. "Oh, you're so lucky! I wish I could get to have tea with the Guardians!"

The brunette blinked. "The what?" She asked, earning gasps from everyone as they suddenly swarmed her desk and informed her rather rapidly about everything they knew about the Guardians.

"They're like the school's superheroes!"

"They're so cool too! They're all in different grades but they're still best friends!"

"Hotori Tadase is in the seventh grade like us; he's the King!"

"Fujisaki Nadeshiko was the Queen before she moved to America, but she'd be a tenth grader at the high school!"

"Souma Kukai was the Jack before he graduated and gave the position to someone else; he's in the tenth grade too!"

"Sanjo Kairi replaced Kukai-kun as the Jack just a few months ago; he's in the eighth grade."

"Yuiki Yaya is in the seventh grade like us; she's the Ace!"

"Mashiro Rima, that tenth grade transfer student, is the new Queen."

Ami blinked as she absorbed the sudden information, glancing over at the blond haired boy next to her; Tadase simply smiled at her before returning to his work, making her blush lightly.

"Um, I guess I'll go then," she said, smiling at the gathered crowd. "Who can say no to a chance like that, right?"

And so, that was how the seventh grader found herself in front of a beautiful greenhouse with a somewhat nervous posture. She glanced at Marigold for reassurance and received an encouraging thumbs up so Ami took a deep breath and walked into the greenhouse, admiring all the lovely plants she passed by.

Then she approached a small table that was surrounded by people she mostly recognized from school; some of them were wearing the uniform and others were wearing the ones from the high school.

However, what caught her attention was the fact that she could see several guardian characters floating around. Her topaz eyes widened in surprise as Tadase led her to a chair, sputtering.

Soon enough, she was given a long explanation of the purpose of the Guardians and what exactly guardian characters were. She was told about some powerful magical device called the Humpty Lock. She was also formally introduced to each of them and their guardians, allowing her to see their true personalities.

Sanjo Kairi was expectedly cold and calculating, which contradicted the energetic and childish personality of his girlfriend, Yuiki Yaya. Mashiro Rima looked extremely adorable, but her personality was cold and frank. Tadase was, of course, welcoming and warm just like she thought.

Ami smiled at each of them, even if they didn't all return the gesture. "That's nice and all, but surely I'm not the only person to have a guardian character here other than you guys so I'm wondering what makes me special enough that you'll invite me to have tea with you?"

Tadase returned the smile, and she drank out of her teacup so that he wouldn't see the blush painted on her cheeks.

"Well, that's true," agreed the blond. "But we were informed of a new student surfacing and showing traits that would meet what we are looking for the Joker position. Hinamori-san, we'd like you to become a part of the Guardians." He reached under the table and brought a folded red cape with a small lock on top of it.

Ami's mouth fell open as she looked around the table for confirmation, and she received nods in return. Well, Yaya and the Charas nodded; Kairi and Rima gave her blank stares that were on the edge of glares.

"You want me to be a Guardian?" She repeated, shocked. "Like…with the capes, helping people, and everything?" Again, she received nods. "Marigold, what do you think I should do?"

Her Chara simply pointed at the marigold in her hair. "I'm born from your feeling to bloom into a strong character, remember? Do what your heart is telling you to do if you want to achieve that goal!"

Ami nodded and turned back to the Guardians, exclaiming, "I'll do it!"

…

"Say, Ikuto, nya…why did you go up to that pink haired girl yesterday, nya?" Yoru asked as he and his bearer relaxing on the roof of the school. "You never talk to anyone at school, nya; what made her so special?" He had missed the first part of the school day, but had reunited with Ikuto shortly before lunch when they encountered Amu.

The blue haired teenager did not open his eyes, enjoying the warm sun over his body and giving him a relaxed feeling. "She was…interesting."

In reality, he had seen right through that façade she had put on; he could see in her eyes that she had been nervous about being the new girl and her hands had turned into fists when she sat down, expressing her anger and annoyance at herself. Someone with his…occupation had a rather keen habit of sensing those things about people and their emotions.

The fact that she didn't even try to flirt with him may have helped just a bit as well.

Of course, he had wanted to make sure and since she had decided to eat under the tree he had been relaxing in, it made things easier. His earlier suspicions were confirmed when she reacted much differently than her "Cool n' Spicy" persona suggested.

Yoru stuck his nose in the air. "Well, I thought she was cold; she slammed the window in my face, nya!"

Ikuto chuckled at the memory. "It's not as if she could see you, Yoru; you should have known the window was closed."

"Hmph; who's side are you on, nya?" The cat Chara complained.

Before Ikuto could reply, the door to the rooftop was slammed open and two people came out into the light.

Ikuto sat up in surprise, wondering if he had been so distracted that he hadn't been paying attention. He recognized Amu, her face flushed, and he recognized his classmate, Souma Kukai, laughing. Their hands were intertwined for some reason.

Amu struggled to catch her breath as she rested her hands on her knees, only looking up to glare at her classmate. She had been feeling depressed, as if some sort of negative energy nearby had sapped her hopes and dreams, when Kukai had suddenly appeared in her face, commenting that pretty girls shouldn't frown, and he took her hand, exclaiming that the best way to avoid stress and depression was to exercise.

The next thing she knew, Amu was being dragged around the school by someone she barely knew. Ran had been so excited by the sudden act that she forgot to Chara Change and help her bearer.

Kukai laughed at the look she had. "Sorry, Hinamori-san, but you looked so upset earlier and it bothered me to see such a pretty girl like that!"

A blush covered her cheeks, cleverly disguised by the present redness from the sudden physical labor. "Okay, fine, but you didn't have to drag me around the school like a rag doll!"

Amu straightened, moving the hair from her face as her Charas finally appeared, looking relieved to have found their bearer (they had been distracted by something and lost track of her earlier).

Kukai's eyes were immediately drawn to them and they widened as he exclaimed, "Wow, you have four guardian characters?"

The pink haired teenager blinked, stunned. "You can see them? You're a bearer too?"

He nodded, flashing a huge grin as a green haired Chara suddenly appeared. "Yup; this is Daichi! He was born when I was little." Daichi flashed a matching grin, greeting her.

"Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia," introduced Amu, smiling slightly. "And yes, I do have four. I gave birth to them back when I was twelve." Her Charas greeted Daichi and Kukai, though they were surprised their bearer was being so open to a stranger; first that Ikuto guy, and now Kukai?

"If you can see Charas, you closed that window on me on purpose then, nya!"

Amu and Kukai turned towards Yoru, who was glaring at the pinkette with annoyance. Ikuto shook his head slightly as he finally stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself.

"Yo," he said. Yoru still looked upset.

"You closed a window on me, nya!" He repeated, rubbing his nose with his paw as if it had just happened.

"You closed a window on him?" Kukai asked, glancing at the pinkette. She rubbed the back of her neck, a sheepish look on her features.

"I didn't realize someone would try to come through it," she said defensively, answering his question.

Kukai laughed before turning towards his classmate; he knew that Tsukiyomi Ikuto had a bad history with his friend from the middle school, Hotori Tadase, but he personally had no reason to hate Ikuto so there was no need for him to act hostile.

"Yo, Tsukiyomi," he greeted. The blue haired male gave him a simple nod to acknowledge him; they weren't friends, nor were they enemies.

Yoru was still complaining about slamming into the window, and Miki finally sighed.

"Jeez, you're such a whiner," she said flatly. "I thought cats were supposed to be cool and collected."

That shut up the little Chara immediately and he glared at her. "We are, nya! I mean, I am!"

"Well, start acting like it," replied Miki, her nose in the air as she turned away from him making him irritated as he tried to get her attention; he didn't like being ignored or brushed off so casually. Unbeknownst to him, Miki had a smug smirk on her lips; playing hard-to-get was her favorite game.

Meanwhile, Amu was sitting on the edge of the roof, facing the boys as she swung her legs casually. Ikuto was leaning against the wall, not really listening as Kukai rambled on and on about miscellaneous things.

"…and then the goldfish jumped into the shoebox and started doing back flips…"

The pinkette giggled lightly as she spotted Ikuto shaking his head. "You're not the kind of person to get close to people, are you?

Ikuto glanced at her before a wicked grin crossed his handsome features. "No, but it'd be a pleasure getting close to _you_, strawberry."

Amu blushed, glaring at him. "You really _are _a perverted cat!"

"I try," was all he said, smirking.

Kukai finally realized that no one was listening to him so he cut himself off as a great idea formed in his mind. "Hey, you know; we should become friends!"

The other two teenagers stiffened. "I don't have any friends," they said together as Ikuto's poker face and Amu's Cool n' Spicy mask slipped into place. "Ran/Yoru."

They glanced each other as they Chara Changed before disappearing, Ikuto into the shadows and Amu into the sky.

"Well, that was weird," remarked Daichi.

Kukai stared after them, still grinning as he looked over at his Chara. "It's just a minor setback, that's all. Those two look like they need friends, and I am the man with a plan who's gonna get it good and done!"

He giggled like a schoolgirl with a crush, running down the stairs to put his 'plan' into action.

Meanwhile, Amu was swinging her legs as she sat down on the park bench with a wistful expression, watching the little kids nearby giggle and chase each other around.

Her Charas were nearby, looking at her worriedly. They knew she had always had trouble making friends and was constantly picked on as a child because of her naive attitude and abnormally pink hair. She was used to pushing people away, though she usually blamed it on her poor social skills.

Amu looked up, smiling sadly at her four companions. "I'm fine, really," she said. "I just…"

"You don't want to get hurt again," finished Dia understandingly, flying over and sitting on her bearer's shoulders. "It's hard, Amu-chan, but you have to let people in eventually because you're only hurting yourself right now."

"I know, I know," replied Amu, sighing as she pulled up her knees and hugged them to her chest. "I just realized…we missed the rest of school."

"It's only one class, and you can say you weren't feeling to well and make up the work tomorrow," said Miki. "Though I don't suggest you start making it a habit."

The pinkette watched as the little kids ran over to the nearby ice cream truck, dragging their mothers with them. A small smile began to form on her face when it suddenly became very cold. Her eyes widened when she saw the nearby people collapse, turning a grayish purple color.

Amu jumped to her feet, her heart beating wildly against her rib cage as she looked around frantically.

"Amu-chan, look," exclaimed Ran, pointing up at the sky with horror.

The sixteen-year-old obeyed her Chara's command and her heart jumped to her throat as she saw a dark cloud forming. She recognized the shapes as eggs; they were guardian eggs.

Except they all had an X on them.

…

**I don't own Shugo Chara!**

**Gah; I hate school sometimes. And writer's block too.**

**Anyways…I know it seems rushed that Ami joined the Guardians and Amu became sorta friends with Ikuto and Kukai (meaning she's not brushing them off and starting to get comfortable around them), but let's not forget that she became Amulet Heart in the first episode and joined the Guardians before the fifth. **

**So…a horde of X-Eggs appear out of nowhere, brought out by someone (oh, I think you guys know who), and **_**Ami **_**has the Humpty Lock. **

**How will Amu get out of this mess?**

**So…my school's homecoming dance is tomorrow and all of my friends are going, except for a handful. I don't plan on going either; I honestly don't see the point of buying an expensive dress, wearing painful heels, putting on the mature face paint known as makeup, spending hours of fixing your hair, stressing over finding a date, only to go to a sweaty and stuffy gymnasium filled with people you'll probably end up hating if you don't already.**

**The only school dances I ever went to was in the sixth grade (when I thought it would be fun, when I all I did was stand by the window for three hours, wishing I had brought my book or something) and in the eighth grade for our graduation (that one was actually sorta fun).**

**I'm not much of a party person, now that I think about…**

**Off topic, sorry. I hope you liked the chapter; don't hesitate to tell me what you thought about it or if you found any mistakes.**


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